As the 2025-26 NHL season approaches, one veteran forward on the Detroit Red Wings knows he must elevate his performance well beyond what he showed last year.
J.T. Compher struggled for much of the 2024-25 campaign, finishing with just 11 goals and 21 assists in 76 games. That marked a significant drop-off from his first season in Detroit after signing a five-year, $25.5 million contract in the 2023 offseason.
In that debut season, Compher nearly matched his career-high 52 points with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022-23, posting 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points.
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The 16 points lost in his production could have gone a long way in helping the Red Wings bring an end to their postseason drought.
That being said, Red Wings coach Todd McLellan spoke highly of Compher in his end-of-season media availability and praised the defensive attributes that he brings that don't show up on the scoresheet.
"We’ve kind of beat this drum an awful lot where he’s a complete player, 200 foot,” McLellan said of Compher. “We can recognize his offense because it’s recorded every day. You pull out the sheet and you see 15 goals or whatever for assists."
“But there isn’t any type of stat pack that comes out for defensive kills or plays around the net that he just happens to break up. And he’s very good at that as well. So we recognize it all the time.”
Compher is being paid over $5 million per season, too high a number for him not to be making a difference in Detroit's offense. While he does play a defensively responsible game as a forward, the Red Wings are going to need more from him in terms of production.
There's also the possibility that he could find himself in danger of being moved down even further in the lineup if a young player like Nate Danielson or Carter Mazur impresses enough during pre-season play.
It also wouldn't be surprising to see Compher begin the new season centering either the third or fourth forward line.
For the Red Wings to have a realistic shot at returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Compher will need to look more like the player who performed well in his first season in Detroit.
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